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About this time of year, you'll see corporate social media profiles ripe with rainbows, signaling summer and pride. It can be energizing, especially for people new to claiming their identity, which is still a scary journey for many, even here in the USA.
As someone who identifies as LGBTQ+, at a surface level, I appreciate the corporate show of support. There's no argument from me that we've made progress in our pursuit of diversity and equality. But to show real support, corporate solidarity needs to extend beyond June and come with genuine, personal statements. Many in the LGBTQ+ community see pride flags on social media and generic corporate statements as profitable platitudes.
So how do companies indeed show solidarity? How do companies and respective leadership offer long-term support for LGBTQ+ employees and colleagues? One of the best examples is Disney over what's happening in Florida. This support doesn't come without risks, but Disney's formal stance on LGBTQ+ rights truly goes beyond performative talking points.
While most companies don't have the same platform as Disney, many small efforts can still have a meaningful impact. Like many LGBTQ+, I've faced workplace discrimination; more often, it's silent and passive. Even as a senior leader and company executive, I've experienced discrimination from supervisors, peers, and team members who worked for me. The feeling is miserable and hurtful.
To make the need even more evident and critical, the Yale School of Public Health found that 83% of LGBTQ+ people feel the need to hide their sexual orientation. That shocking stat presents itself across all aspects of life, and perhaps more so at work. So what can you do? In simple terms, speak up, show up, and make it business policy.
Start with the hiring process. When you hire, articulate how you support LGBTQ+ rights. Create a strategy that mandates diversity hiring that goes beyond removing personally identifiable information. Make it a point to look at different networks for referrals or recruiting drives where the demographic is proven to be more diverse and inclusive. For example, when I've had an uncertain feeling about a company's policy and culture toward LGBTQ+ people during an interview, I casually mentioned things like my partner to gauge their comfort with me being me.
Formalize your diversity and inclusion policies, specifically stating LGBTQ+ support. Provide transparency about your company's composition at all levels with data, especially at the leadership table, or even have leadership go on the record stating their commitment and belief in equality. Of course, all of this cannot out someone not ready to come out.
Through internal policy-making, formalize diversity and inclusivity practices. Mandate ongoing training, ensure adequate resources and financial investment, and clearly define accountability when a policy is broken, or metrics are not met.
On a personal level, as a colleague, there is also a lot you can and shouldn't do. Good intentions sometimes have adverse outcomes. So in your quest to create a sense of camaraderie with peers who are open about their sexual identity, saying things like "Hey girl" to a guy who identifies as gay can do everything but make them feel comfortable.
Or, when you sense someone is hiding something, gossiping with others and questioning their orientation is unnecessary. They would likely have shared it with you if they were open about it. To show support, befriend, and get to know them as a person.
The reality is complicated, and without a formal company policy on diversity, equity, and inclusion as it relates to your LGBTQ+ colleagues makes matters worse. Perhaps the most powerful way to start is to give people who are open about being LGBTQ+ is to provide them with a seat at the table where they can help craft the future of an inclusive workplace.
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